1. The History
The original house Manor was a stone mansion built on a wooded hill. This was then nearly all rebuilt circa 1819. A spring near to the house was said to possess medicinal and healing powers. In 1842, a local monied family took over and between 1879 and 1883 rebuilt the house based on the designs of architect Sir Arthur Blomfield. Engraving of the original house:
Hall engraving_1
The house was ravaged by fire in 1906. Dozens of wagons, traps and other horse-drawn vehicles were chartered in the nearby market town as spectators rushed to watch the blaze. Firemen climbed ladders and stripped away roof tiles for their hose jets and drew water from fishponds 300 metres away. Fire brigades from surrounding towns also turned out and as a result much of the manor was saved as the fire was contained to the upper floors. However the flames and water caused an estimated damage of £30,000 to fabric and furniture (around £3 million in today’s money). The fire began in the chapel and was blamed on an overheating flue. It was discovered by a housemaid while the manor’s lord and lady were in church. Friends and villagers acted fast and helped to remove valuable paintings and furniture. Aftermath of the fire:
After the fire
The blaze only strengthened the family's resolve and they rebuild it and restored it to its former glory. However like so many stately homes of this the area, the up-keep of the manor became too much and in 1938 it was demolished. House after the rebuild:
Manor front
2. The Explore
Visit with The Wombat (good to finally meet you fella!) on a relaxed and sunny day in April. A few reports have showed up on this place and describe the buildings as the stables/coach house. However these buildings are in fact the north-west wing of the house that was not demolished (you need to flip the floor plan on the engraving picture above round through 180 degrees). Maybe these lower-slung buildings (which included a game room, gun room and a boot room) were retained for potential future use(?). That clearly didn’t happen and now they lay abandoned on the edge of the former manor’s rural estate with nature slowly reclaiming them.
3. The Pictures
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The original house Manor was a stone mansion built on a wooded hill. This was then nearly all rebuilt circa 1819. A spring near to the house was said to possess medicinal and healing powers. In 1842, a local monied family took over and between 1879 and 1883 rebuilt the house based on the designs of architect Sir Arthur Blomfield. Engraving of the original house:
The house was ravaged by fire in 1906. Dozens of wagons, traps and other horse-drawn vehicles were chartered in the nearby market town as spectators rushed to watch the blaze. Firemen climbed ladders and stripped away roof tiles for their hose jets and drew water from fishponds 300 metres away. Fire brigades from surrounding towns also turned out and as a result much of the manor was saved as the fire was contained to the upper floors. However the flames and water caused an estimated damage of £30,000 to fabric and furniture (around £3 million in today’s money). The fire began in the chapel and was blamed on an overheating flue. It was discovered by a housemaid while the manor’s lord and lady were in church. Friends and villagers acted fast and helped to remove valuable paintings and furniture. Aftermath of the fire:
The blaze only strengthened the family's resolve and they rebuild it and restored it to its former glory. However like so many stately homes of this the area, the up-keep of the manor became too much and in 1938 it was demolished. House after the rebuild:
2. The Explore
Visit with The Wombat (good to finally meet you fella!) on a relaxed and sunny day in April. A few reports have showed up on this place and describe the buildings as the stables/coach house. However these buildings are in fact the north-west wing of the house that was not demolished (you need to flip the floor plan on the engraving picture above round through 180 degrees). Maybe these lower-slung buildings (which included a game room, gun room and a boot room) were retained for potential future use(?). That clearly didn’t happen and now they lay abandoned on the edge of the former manor’s rural estate with nature slowly reclaiming them.
3. The Pictures